The present invention relates to formulations for maintaining the freshness of flowers and more particularly to kits comprising such formulations in permeable containers.
In order to maximize the fresh appearance of cut flowers, it is known that simply providing water is not sufficient, but rather some type of a cut flower food composition should be provided to the flower. In the past, the standard procedure has been to mix a quantity of powdered cut flower food composition with water to form a solution, with the solution then being provided to the container with the cut flowers. However, this requires the user to properly mix a correct amount of the cut flower food with a correct amount of water in order to achieve a solution with the correct concentration of cut flower food therein. Such a procedure provides mixed results, is time consuming and can be messy.
This problem has been ameliorated with the introduction of cut flower compositions dispensed in metered amounts in permeable containers, or “T-bags.” This administration form provides pre-measured quantities of a cut flower food composition packaged in permeable or semi-permeable materials such as a filter paper tea-bag. This assembly can be placed in the water of a container holding cut flowers, after which the water can enter the bag via the filter paper, so that the composition is dissolved, and then carries the composition out of the bag in the dissolved form. Measuring and mixing the proper amount of cut flower composition can therefore be dispensed with.
Unfortunately, however, such compositions in permeable containers suffer from the drawback that the ingredients tend to diffuse from the container in a slow and inhomogeneous fashion, thus yielding a poorly mixed solution. This disadvantage is particularly acute with regard to the pH of the solution. If well mixed, the solution should feature a homogeneous pH of 3 to 4.5, which is the optimal value for preserving the health of the fresh flower foliage. However, presumably due to the poor mixing, it has been observed that a pH gradient is established, and the top of the solution exhibits a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, whereas the bottom, where the cut stem absorbs nutrients and water, features a pH of 2 to 2.4. Such excessively low pH values are harmful to the flower foliage, resulting in a phytotoxic and unpleasant dehydrated appearance.